Conferees reach deal on $32 million public safety and judiciary security package

— UPDATED at 10:56 p.m. following House vote

Working late into the night is not uncommon during this time of session, and the public safety and judiciary finance conference committee demonstrated that late-Friday/early-Saturday.

Conferees got together shortly before midnight to unveil a $32 million agreement to fund new and ongoing safety and security measures at the State Capitol in the 2026-27 biennium.

The agreement came in the form of a budget spreadsheet on HF3230/SF3432*, adopted by the conference committee at 12:06 a.m.

Conferees also incorporated HF1082, a $15.44 million supplemental public safety budget package, into the final product. That money, with its associated policy provisions, has previously passed the House as a standalone bill and is under consideration by the Senate.

Late Saturday, the full House adopted the conference committee report, repassed the bill 100-34 and sent it to the governor. It was passed 59-8 by the Senate earlier in the evening.

Moving duplicate legislation is a common strategy at the Capitol; it’s a backup plan in case one piece of legislation gets bogged down.

In any case, whether the bottom line is $32 million or $47.44 million, both parts of the combined budget package met the target amounts revealed in a budget agreement announced Wednesday by Gov. Tim Walz and House and Senate leaders.

Rep. Kelly Moller (DFL-Shoreview) and Sen. Ron Latz (DFL-St. Louis Park) are the sponsors.

Moller previously said that political violence is all too real in Minnesota and across the country, and that in these politically tense times, more security measures are needed to make everyone feel safe.

“This funding protects not just those who work in this building, but also all of those who come into this space and the surrounding area: school groups, advocacy groups, our constituents, community members during rallies and protests,” she said on the House Floor May 6. “This security ensures that people can safely exercise their First Amendment rights.”

[MORE: House passes bill to boost spending on security at State Capitol, Minnesota courtrooms]

Public safety provisions, dollars

Big-ticket items the agreement would fund in the 2026-27 biennium include:

• $7.32 million for Capitol security screening;
• $4.7 million for Capitol security enhancements;
• $1.74 million for legislative services/protective services unit; and
• $1.01 million for the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension’s threat assessment unit, which assesses and investigates troubling behaviors in individuals and groups to identify threats and prevent targeted violence.

These amounts would provide enhanced security services from the State Patrol to legislators in the Capitol Complex and beyond if necessary, and retain extra security personnel and screening stations at building entrances that were installed before the first day of the 2026 session.

An additional $2.12 million would go to the Philando Castile Memorial Training Fund that supports mandatory training for officers in de-escalation, implicit bias and crisis management to improve community-police relations.

And the bulk of the funding in the $15.44 million from HF1082 is $12 million for a new Minnesota Victims of Crime account in the Office of Justice Programs for grants to community-based crime victim services providers such as emergency shelters and legal advocacy.

Security for judges, courtrooms

Because Judges and other judicial staff are also facing increasing threats of violence, the agreement proposes a onetime Fiscal Year 2027 appropriation of $4 million to fund a competitive grant program to boost courthouse security assessments, equipment, technology, construction, or training needs.

And $967,000 would be allocated to judges and judicial staff for home security systems and pay for monthly monitoring. That funding is ongoing and would total $1.04 million in 2028-29 and future biennia.